


So, Secret Agencies Run in the Family?

by CelticGHardy



Category: Hellboy (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Community: crossbigbang, Gen, and others - Freeform, small appearances
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-18
Updated: 2013-08-18
Packaged: 2017-12-23 22:50:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/932008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticGHardy/pseuds/CelticGHardy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Coulson gets a report from SHIELD that Loki has appeared in a downtown park. He, along with a couple of others, get a surprise when they find out they're not the first agency down there. Around Loki is a small group of supernatural creatures, and the BPRD was alerted to the mess. One of the faces is someone Phil hasn't seen in years. His youngest brother, John Myers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Un

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the Avengers, Hellboy or John's family. Technically, I got that information off of the Hellboy DVD set as it was part of the background for John. I just had to make up a few names.
> 
> Done in time for the crossbigbang on livejournal. [Art Post](http://nickygabriel.livejournal.com/757523.html)

SHIELD Agent Phil Coulson was working on the mountain of paperwork that had accumulated since the beginning of the day. Occasionally, he would look up into the recreation area to watch the group. Tony Stark and Steve Rogers were fighting on the Wii, Steve in the lead. Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff were talking with Bruce Banner, discussing places the three of them have visited over the years. Thor was watching the first two while eating a box of Pop Tarts.

His phone rang, and he answered while reviewing the nearest file, “Coulson.”

“There are reports that Loki is down in Major Mark Park,” a rookie announced. The activity around the room ceased as JARVIS alerted them and tapped to the call.

“What's the concern?” he inquired, stopping his writing.

“He's surrounded by unknowns. They're making a general mess, and a few civilians have been scared by them.”

Coulson saw that the group looked interested. “The unknowns do not sound overly hostile. What's your concern?”

There was a pause at the other end. “Sir, we're still worried....”

“The word they're looking for is scared, terrified, afraid,” Tony listed, before Steve very lightly hit him. He still glared and rubbed his arm in response. 

Phil glared at him. “Loki has been redeeming himself. He knows the consequences if he relapses.” There was another awkward pause at the other end. Tony was highly amused, Clint and Natasha as well. “I will bring Thor and Agent Romanoff to talk to Loki. The rest will be on standby.”

“Yes sir,” he ended, sounding much too relieved. Tony started laughing, Steve not stopping him because he was too amused. Thor had set down his food and moved to gather his items. Natasha checked her weapons and headed to the elevator.

“It's unlikely anyone else will be needed, but just in case,” Coulson instructed.

“Be prepared,” Tony yelled, “Don't worry Agent, we were all girl scouts.” He received a pillow in the face by Clint, who walked by to get up to his room.

The drive to the park was uneventful. Another car joined them when they went passed headquarters. The area around the park was quiet, clear of civilians. They parked along the sidewalk at the entrance. A woman in a suit came over to greet him. “I'm sorry, you can't park here,” she apologized.

Coulson stepped out of the car and pulled his ID out. “Agent Coulson, SHIELD. We had a report that a party related to out interests was here,” he informed, walking by her to follow Natasha and Thor in.

“You can't do that,” she yelled, relaying information into a radio, “We have someone from SHIELD here.”

Loki was easy to spot, arguing with a young man. The unknowns looked relatively like large, blue, furry armadillos. Two were 'barking' up a tree at something no one could see. One had settled at Loki's side, sitting quietly. The last one was sniffing at the young man, nose close to a jacket pocket. “Look, we just need to know what happened. These 'beings'....” he appealed.

“They are called Junditto,” he chided, not entirely happy.

“Right. The Junditto are not supposed to be awake; there are only a few select groups that can wake them using the proper spells or their own energies. We've had no reports of those particular beings around,” he explained, “We need to know if there are any similar or corresponding energies that you may have activated during your trip here. And if you weren't the instigating party, then you may have some idea on what did. So we'll need to question you on what you saw, heard.”

Loki looked down at the human, a little amused then. The Junditto looked up at the approaching party, namely Thor. He turned to the newcomers. “Thor,” he addressed, “Agents Romanoff and Coulson.”

The young man followed his gaze, seeing the first two mentioned. “I'm sorry, but you can't be here,” he insisted, walking over. “This area is close off; you need to...” He stopped when he saw Coulson, openly staring. It took a minute for him to get a coherent thought. “Phil?”

Coulson didn't quite know how to react. Surprisingly. He had forgotten all his family when he joined SHIELD, leaving behind his original surname. He hadn't seen any of his younger siblings since they were all split up. He stopped talking to Frank after he joined the Rangers. After the name change, the ones he encountered didn't immediately recognize him, even Frank had trouble. He didn't think the younger ones would even remember what he looked like. Especially John, who hadn't seen him since he was six.

Natasha led the conversation, allowing him to gather his thoughts. “Agent Romanoff, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. Loki is one of our assets. We were told of his presence and came to make sure he wasn't in the middle of trouble,” she carefully informed.

The young agent turned back to her. “I understand, but the Junditto are under our jurisdiction,” he argued.

“And Loki is under ours,” Coulson threw back, putting questions at the back of his mind. It didn't help as anger began to subtly cloud his mind.

Natasha stepped in again. “Why don't we cooperate for a short amount of time?” she suggested, “Loki will answer your questions related to the Junditto and only those. Coulson will moderate on his behalf. Do they need to be rounded together for transport?”

“Uh,” he hesitated, looking back. The two that used to be by the tree were now chasing each other, the one at Loki's feet looking to join. The young agent's started licking his hand for attention, which he gave by absentmindedly petting him. “Please? Just don't hurt them. They seem harmless.”

“Thor,” she motioned, “Loki, try to keep yours from joining.” The two walked over to the circling pair. Thor grabbed the closest by the neck, which started to whimper and whine. Natasha distracted the other with a long branch, making it chase it over to a large vehicle.

“So, how did you arrive at the park?” the young agent asked, ready to write down relevant information.

“Spell.”

“Were the Junditto already awake when you came, or did they awake after your presence?”

Loki took a few minutes to fully think about his answer. “They came out of the ground around my arrival, but they could have been stirring before I arrived.”

“Okay let's start with your magick not being the cause. Did you see anyone around that didn't look quite human? Or hear or sense?”

“Saw or heard, no. There may have been trace amounts of a spell that recently occurred when I arrived. Other than my own,” he added.

“Could you give us any indication on what the spell was? Is there an equivalent one in your knowledge that would help us limit our search?”

Loki thought for a minute. Of course there was a corresponding spell, but he didn't want to talk to this child any longer. Besides, humans should learn to do their own research. Especially if they're going to be visited more often. Coulson, however, picked up on this and gave him a pointed glare. _Answer his question._ “There is a similar spell that I know of. It's to call a specific person or item to you,” he passed over quickly.

“Okay, so a summoning spell of sorts,” he noted, writing it down. “Demons and sorcerers that have that power,” he mumbled, going through ideas that he would have to research back at headquarters. “Thank you. If it doesn't link back to an outside source, is there anyway we can check the spell you used around them? To see if they become hyped up around your presence? Or the spell's?” He realized that Loki's presence at the moment would have hyped them up, so there wasn't a way of telling without a baseline.

“If needed, we will arrange for a time where he will show up and we can test,” Coulson claimed, looking at Loki to dare him to reject the idea. However, he didn't argue or dissuade him, so he possibly agreed, or was waiting until the young man wasn't there so he could argue with him.

He looked a little relieved. “Thank you,” he breathed, digging out a card to give to him. “The number is my office line. You can call for information. Or if you want to... never mind,” he shot down. “I'll send you an electronic copy of the full report, Agent _Coulson_.”

He ignored the emphasis on his last name. “I rather have a paper copy. Where's your office?” he questioned.

John stammered a bit, “My office isn't the greatest place to meet. We could find a neutral place or I could send one to you, or I could go to your office.”

Coulson wondered why he didn't want him at his office. It shouldn't have been like he had anything to hide. He was FBI, last time he checked; although he would have to check again if he was dealing with otherworldly creatures. “You will have to arrange an appointment in advance. You know where the SHIELD office is in New York, correct?”

He nodded, “Yeah. I'll call ahead.”

“Are we done?” Natasha inquired, walking over.

“Yeah, we're done,” he said. Thor, Natasha and Coulson walked off, Loki following after being dragged by Thor, his Junditto trailing them. “Okay, bye.” The Junditto that attached to him started whining and nudging him again. “Thanks for fucking acknowledging me, Jerk.” He scratched the head and realized what he was doing. “How come you're not with your friends?”

=

The card Coulson had been given was thrown on the table. Natasha read the name and quickly memorized it. She went to her room and started pulling up search engines. After a half hour, she had as much information she could dig up without hacking into areas. She stopped when she heard Clint walking in. “Park?” he asked.

“Another agency was already on the ground. The agent that was questioning Loki recognized Coulson,” she informed him, going back to her search.

“How?”

“Don't know yet,” she said.

He looked over her shoulder. “John Thaddeus Myers, thirty-six, youngest of seven, Magna Cum Laude from University of Oklahoma before going to Quantico. Graduated in two-thousand three, and then there's nothing.” He looked at her, coming to a conclusion. “What secret organization?”

She hummed in agreement as she checked the usual and obvious ones, “Not IMF, although there may be a Myers there.”

“I'll check with Will; he probably knows.”

She went on, “Not NIA. Has never been associated with SHIELD. Doesn't know Coulson from us.”

“What about that weird one with the Director Fury hates?”

She glared at him. “Be more specific.”

He screwed up his eyes trying to place the name. “Manning?” he guessed.

“Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.” She took a minute to break the intermediate encryption on their personnel files. “They have terrible security.”

“Unless they're waiting to spring something,” Clint pointed out, reading the files before pointing the one out they needed, “Myers, John Thaddeus. Handler, two-thousand three to two-thousand five, transferred to Antarctica and stationed two-thousand six to two-thousand eleven, back to headquarters as a first contact field agent since then.”

“First contact field agent,” Natasha repeated.

“That sounds like something we should have when talking to aliens.” Clint dropped himself on her bed. “Young for a handler. What was he, twenty-seven?”

“Twenty-six.”

He pondered for a minute, “Romantic or just sex?”

“I wasn't getting the idea that he knew Coulson just because of sex. But it didn't seem romantic either,” she stated.

“So, they didn't date. Stationed together somewhere, maybe?”

“No sense. He might have talked to him about their time together. At least talked about SHIELD and try to defuse the situation.”

“Defuse?”

“He was actually getting angry with him.”

Clint sat up. “Was he slipping?” he inquired.

“Noticeable in his voice and posture. Face was still blank.”

That was intriguing. “Damn, what did this guy do to piss Coulson off?”

Natasha turned to face him, searches cleaned off. “Unknown, but we could always ask Myers.”

“You've been in the BPRD headquarters before?”

“No,” she admitted, “But there's always a first time for everything.”

The headquarters for the BPRD was a concrete building with a gate surrounding it, in New Jersey. A sign by the gate door stated it was 'Waste Management'. Each took shifts watching a trickle of agents going in and out. Sometimes, they would see a group going out with a garbage truck. “At least they have a theme,” Clint remarked.

They both came to the conclusion that most of the agents lived somewhere on the grounds. Myers only seemed to go out for shopping or with the groups. Sometimes, they would see him with the Junditto that no one thought to round up. Clint was kinda amused at something that acted similar to a dog. Natasha noticed it was highly loyal, going after agents that seemed to be threatening with Myers.

Their plan of simply breaking in was going to have to be altered. The building was more guarded than their computer security seemed to be. Also, most of the agents lived on the property. There wouldn't be a foolproof way that they could not be noticed. Instead, they were going to go with act like you belong and no one will question you.

They had false FBI badges in case they were stopped, but no one took a second look at them. Most just nodded and said hello as they walked by. A few false hallways (“What's that a deformed baby in a jar?” Clint asked. Natasha just pulled him along.) and they found the offices. John's was near the middle, easily unlocked.

They waited an hour for the agent to come back. He was balancing several files while muttering about researching through more books. The Junditto that was by his side whined at the new smell, but John wasn't paying attention. He sat down at his desk and went through a few papers before glancing up. “Ahh!” he yelled, pushing back from his desk.

“Calm down, Agent Myers,” Natasha directed, keeping her amusement on the inside, “We're just here to talk.”

“Oh,” he nodded frantically, moving back a little closer, “Okay. Uh, about what?”

“Agent Coulson,” Clint directed, “We wanna know about his reaction to you.”

His reaction was amusing, watching him fight about whether or not to tell them. After two minutes, he denied, “It's a personal matter between him and me. I rather not talk about it.”

“Are you sure they weren't together? Because he's acting like he had sex with him,” Clint directed at Natasha.

John choked on air, “You think I was _with_ Phil?”

“You weren't?” she inquired.

“No! The last time I saw Phil, I was six, when we were all separated.”

Clint leaned forward. “Separated?”

“Yeah,” he said, “He's my brother.”


	2. Deux

John sighed and looked down at his desk when he began talking, “Our parents disappeared, drove off and were never seen again, no trace ever found. We were split up. Frank and Phil are the oldest; they were sent to Chicago and our Uncle Henry. Jake and Ben went to Minnesota, cousin on Dad's side. My sisters, Martha and Abby got sent to Aunt Edna in Kansas. Uncle Thad took me in, Oklahoma. There were letters sometimes; Frank wrote for the both of them. Ben wrote long letters while Jake added a couple of words. Sometimes, I was able to see my sisters, but not much. I was ten when Frank's letters stopped. I heard both joined the Military, but I never really learned anything after that. Neither came to Uncle Thad's funeral either.”

Natasha carefully thought everything over. She didn't know Coulson's reason for no family contact. With the joining of SHIELD, she could understand disconnecting for safety, but he changed his last name for that effect. It would have been simple to set up a home life for the original Phil Myers. She caught Clint's expression tightening and laid a hand on his arm to try and stop his show of reaction. It wasn't like Barney, betrayed and left for dead, but it was abandonment by family. He might come off as distant the next time they saw him. Coulson would become suspicious.

An alarm blared through the building, prompting the two to jump up and ready weapons. John grimaced, “We're not under attack. That's the call out. I've got to go. Do you want to come out with us so you won't have to sneak in?”

“We didn't sneak,” Clint pointed out, “We walked in.”

“Fine, would you like to walk out so no one realized you illegally entered the building?” he changed. Clint smirked, partially amused at the backtalk.

Once outside the BPRD and heading to their vehicles, Natasha's phone started ringing. “Yes,” she answered.

“You and Barton need to come in,” Coulson reported, “Assignments, both pertain to HYDRA.”

“Understood, sir,” she said, hanging up and turning to Clint, “HYDRA assignments.”

“Damn it,” he cursed, “I hate those.”

Coulson hung up on his end and looked over to the file that Fury had left just after he started calling Natasha. He picked it up to start flipping through it and became increasingly interested in the wrong way. What the hell was his youngest brother doing in the BPRD?

=

John walked down the alleyway, gun in front of him as he approached the side entrance of the warehouse they were entering. The callout was about a possible demon and people that were helping said demon. They had several agents ready to break in the front. He was needed to keep people from escaping. 

He heard the yells of helpers and a couple of inhuman growls and he waited for the first people to come out. However, the first out was the demon. And he wasn't very pleased to see John. “Freeze,” he shouted on instinct. The very male demon was annoyed at the puny human, and didn't listen. Instead, he grabbed the gun and crushed it before throwing John against the wall and holding him up by his neck.

“Annoying human,” he grumbled. Then the wind carried his scent to his nose and he smelt the twining of familiar smells in the wind. A memory of years past, of screaming, fear, blood and chaos, and he felt glad that this little human had tried to stop him. He would be perfect. “We bring him with us,” he commanded.

“Yes, master,” a human obeyed. Three had followed the demon out. One pulled out rope and they tied John's hands behind his back.

“Master, this is the escape route,” another motioned. The demon nodded and was led down the alley to a tunnel. His grip had changed from the hold on John's neck to his arm to drag him quickly. The last two provided cover, fog and spells that acted as projectiles shot at the BPRD men at the end that tried to follow.

John's attempts to fight back were half-hearted and minor. He knew the demon was too strong for him. He hoped that he would get annoyed and dropped him somewhere during his escape. But he held on as they moved through the tunnel and ended up somewhere underground. Through more tunnels and larger drain rooms, where the last agent was lost among the twists and turns, they ended up exiting to a street a couple of blocks away from the warehouse. A large van pulled up just as they became viewable from the street.

The driver stayed behind the wheel while someone else opened a side door. “Master,” the woman greeted, bowing in his presence. He passed John over to her and she forced him into the van, which he could see out of, but no one would be able to see in. _Great, they planned on moving him. This is more organized for the normal occult members we’re used to dealing with._ The demon took the large seat while the rest took the surrounding ones. Someone threw a bag over his head as they drove off, making sure he couldn't see where they were going.

=

Coulson had the bare information from the file Fury passed along. A couple of passes into the BPRD servers didn't pick up anything else. The organization probably relied on a closed server or paperwork for the majority of their information. Similar paranoia levels at SHIELD made it harder for enemies to gather information, but stopped him from getting a more complete picture of John's work. He was going to have to talk to someone within their ranks for more information.

He went through names, trying to figure if he could use old connections to get information when an alert went through the BPRD system. The abduction of John Myers was being reported to all branches. He had been out to stop a power spell for a Berockh demon and several humans had been helping out. They had no way of tracking either the demon or the humans helping him, and anything that could have been used to track John had been destroyed. There was chatter of contacting a couple of former employees, but no one wanted to go that far.

He wasn't happy they weren't going to try that line. He started looking up the former employees they were talking about. He found two, Abraham Sapien and Elizabeth Sherman. The third was blocked, only to be uncovered through a BPRD terminal. Tom Manning could try to yell at him after all this shit was done; if they weren't going to call these people, he would. The way they contacted these people however wasn't listed in the files. SHIELD searches yielded no results for either of them. 

He needed to figure out who the third person was, and he needed to find out everything about the Berockh demon. He went back to his search of individuals that could possibly help him out.

=

Liz kept getting the alert that someone was searching for them. Abe knew how to figure out who was chasing them a lot better. Most were BPRD rookies that were tasked with trying to get the trio back to the organization. “Hey, Abe?” she called.

The aforementioned man climbed out of the bathtub and carefully dried off before coming over to the computer. She leaned back so he could see the monitor. “Ahh,” he said, “I will find out who it is. Who calls this time?”

“Red wanted the next BPRD agent,” Liz told him.

He finished the back trace, and employing the evasive maneuvers, he found out where the search was coming from. Or at the very least where it wasn't coming from. “It is not the BPRD,” he frowned.

“It wouldn't be the first time someone else though they could win us over. So who is it?”

It took a few more minutes to find a familiar signature that he hadn't seen in a few years. “I believe it is SHIELD.”

“That Director Fury said he wasn't going to bug us again after his attempt.”

“I do not think it is Director Fury. High ranking member of SHIELD, but not him.”

“Can you contact them through the internet?”

Abe sought out who was conducting the searches and managed to get an email. “What should we tell this person?” he inquired.

“We don't want to join SHIELD,” Liz dictated, “Short.”

“Who don't we want to join now?” a new voice grumbled. Hellboy walked into the room, two young children following in his footsteps.

“Mom!” The two shot out and almost bowled her over. The two stared up at her when she hugged them back. The twins carried some of the more unusual marks of their father's demon genetics, yellow eyes on both, slightly red tint of the skin that always made it look like they had a bad sunburn and birthmarks that matched his markings. Both parents had been surprised that neither had been born with horns or tails. Abe remarked they must have been recessive traits.

Smart ass.

Clay Bryan and Trevor Mason were set to start second grade at a school that knew a little about being different. While it wasn't Westerville, like Abe had suggested, the place they picked out would alert them if anything strange happened around them. Both wondered if they would possibly get Liz's fire generation or Hellboy's heightened and paranormal senses.

“Hey, how was the carnival?” she inquired

“Dad made one of the guys mad when he kept winning stuff for us,” Clay told her.

“And then he bought out a few food stands,” Trevor added.

She wanted to spend more time with them, but they needed to talk with the man that was searching them out. Abe must have sent the email during their chat, because he tapped her shoulder and pointed at a reply. “Hey, we've got some work to do. Your Dad, Uncle Abe and me need to talk to someone,” she insisted, “Why don't you watch TV or play in the backyard? Only our backyard, not anyone elses'.”

The two looked to each other and decided on something after a minute. “We'll be outside,” Trevor decided, running with Clay.

“That sounds ominous,” Hellboy muttered.

Liz went back to the email Abe had up. “This isn't a recruitment. A Berockh demon has kidnapped John Myers,” she read, “The BPRD won't contact you.” The _so I am_ was left to everyone to fill in.

“Oh my,” Abe whispered.

“What the hell is he doing back from Antarctica?” he fumed.

“I don't remember encountering a Berockh demon,” Liz confessed.

“Last time was in the early eighties. Cult had two sacrifices, neither survived. Damn bastard almost succeeded in getting enough power to take over the western hemisphere before I interrupted,” he summarized. 

“So, another one of these guys has come back with help,” she stated.

“Likely the same demon. I didn't get to finish him off,” he grumbled, “Would he need two sacrifices like last time?”

“Without knowing the spell or power he is trying to raise, it is unknown,” Abe voiced.

“So, what should we tell this guy?” Liz wrangled back on track, “He's not Bureau. Probably not able to deal with a demon, especially one that could be powerful.”

“What is he?”

“SHIELD.”

“They deal with humans and aliens. Demon wouldn't be too hard for them,” Hellboy mentioned, “But they have no information on how to properly kill this guy.”

“And the Bureau does not play nice with information. If they haven't contacted us by now, they most likely will not,” Abe pointed out, “They are going to get him killed.”

“And the demon's going to go on a power trip,” Liz finished.

“I'm gonna yell at Manning,” Hellboy growled, grabbing his specifically made cell phone and dialing.

“What about this person?” Abe inquired.

Liz asked, “I want to know why he knows about John being kidnapped. And why he cares.”

He pondered, “Perhaps we should arrange a meet. Give him the requisite information and find out why. And offer our services.”

“Hey, Red, you wanna meet this guy?” All she received was a wave in return as he continued to yell at the other end. “Set up a meeting, Abe.”

Coulson wondered what exactly he should do when the people he had been writing to suggested a meeting. This rightfully should have been the BPRD's case. But they were doing nothing of worth to track the demon or John. If these people were the ones that could find the demon and possibly get John back safely, he would go with them instead.

They had a date set, but they wanted someplace more remote than he was considering. Hiding was what they wanted, but the place wouldn't be as easy to control if anything went wrong. He suggested semi-public places so they could hide among the crowd if someone attacked. They were insistent on privacy.

He needed a private place that would have security for their meeting. He wondered if Stark wouldn't mind loaning him a floor for the meeting.

Or he could always ask Pepper. She would argue for him if it was important.

Better to have it in advance, he placed a call to Pepper. “Hi, Phil,” she answered.

“Hello,” he greeted, “I need to meet with some people that isn't SHIELD territory. Is there any way I can use one of the floors in the tower?”

=

John was in the dark as they drove for a few hours. The demon kept silent and everyone followed his lead, unwilling to make conversation unless something came up. He was disoriented when they finally came to a stop. Two people pulled him out, and he dropped to his knees before they dragged him back up and pushed him forward.

They must have driven inside a structure, because there was no outside noises for him to figure out if he was in the country or a city or town. There was a little bit of a chill and he wondered if he was in a warehouse or factory. Three more turns and he was pushed into a room before someone shut and locked the door.

He sighed, “Couldn't they have taken off the bag before they left?” He carefully felt his way around before coming across a wall. He felt it and hoped that the concrete would snag on the cloth so he could drag it off. It took a few attempts before it finally fell on the ground and he was able to see where he was, a concrete room with one metal door that he couldn't do anything about. There wasn't a single thing in the room; nothing he could use to possibly cut or snag the ropes on so get himself free.

He kicked the bag over to the corner and slid down so he was sitting on top of it, providing very little protection from the cold floor. “It's times like these I wish they still had Hellboy, Abe and Liz,” he complained.


	3. Trois

When they heard HYDRA, Agents Barton and Romanoff were expecting to be sent to Eastern Europe, parts of Asia or South America.

Not Pittsburgh.

In fact, they were wondering who they had pissed off this time to be sent on this assignment. Any agent could have taken it, but they sent two of their best. As they watched the steady stream of people going in and out, Natasha at street level, Clint on a roof, they discussed what they thought the actual reason was. Even if they didn't feel the mission was worthwhile, they still captured numerous pictures and ran them through databases.

“Do you think we were sent after bail jumpers?” Clint inquired, seeing that one of the men was wanted in California for running.

“Or traffic violators,” she guessed, finding a woman that had thirteen parking tickets in New York. The next few she searched were clean, but something set off with the man and woman that walked in. “HYDRA connection, but the BPRD also has these two pegged. Sketches only.”

“What for?”

“Helping a Berockh demon,” she pronounced, “Also, kidnapping an agent. It was Myers.”

“Think Coulson knows?” The short chirp of his cell phone interrupted the two. He checked it quickly. “Hi, Sir.”

“Make sure Romanoff's listening in,” he ordered, “Manning contacted Fury, annoyed that I had talked to a few former agents about the demon, and annoyed that I was looking into their case. The HYDRA connection you found helps us. Manning can't deal with HYDRA. Not to mention their former agents don't want to work with the BPRD. Fury's allowing me to bring them in for this assignment, if they agree.”

“Do we know how bad the demon is?” Clint asked.

“Should we just intercept now and try to find out the location?” Natasha suggested.

“No, we have no idea of the contingency plans that are in place if they don't come back,” he directed, “Follow if necessary, but do not contain.”

“Understood,” both reported. Coulson ended his side.

“Did he sound more worried than usual?” Clint asked.

“I would say around the same level after you were compromised,” she mentioned. It took a few minutes for him to come up with a little noise of acknowledgment. After that, the two walked out of the building. “Moving.”

“Got it.”

=

The floor that Pepper had arranged for was a business level. The conference room was two doors off of an emergency exit that led into the street. JARVIS was going silent, thankfully. If needed, Coulson would ask specifically for him to talk. He hoped Stark was busy updating his suit and not questioning his usage of a floor for a meeting. Or asking JARVIS to help spy.

There was the bare staff and he was notified as the group made their way over to the elevator and up. The video on the screen showed two clearly non-human entities with one female. One was blue with a device around his or her neck while the other was bright red with a tail coming out of the trench coat. He saw what the insistence on privacy was for. 

He kept to the windows, making sure not to block any exits, as if they had to worry about that. It was the small things to get them to trust him. He was possibly going to ask for their help in going after a demon and getting John back alive. He wanted them on his side. “Agent Coulson,” he greeted as they walked in.

“Liz Sherman,” the woman introduced, “Abe Sapien, Hellboy.” She pointed to the respective namesakes.

“No agents from the BPRD?” Hellboy questioned.

“No, as of a few hours ago, this is now a SHIELD assignment. Recently, the group HYDRA has been tied with the demon that kidnapped John Myers.”

“HYDRA?” he asked.

“A terrorist organization that rose to power in World War two,” he simplified.

“I remember a little about that. The Professor was worried about their connection to Rasputin,” Abe noted, “They believed the Norse mythology was true. I suppose they were right.”

Coulson confirmed, “You know about the Junditto incident.”

“And Loki.”

“Great, Trickster God,” Hellboy grumbled.

“He's not as bad as he was a few months ago,” Coulson partially defended, before getting back on track. “The demon, what should you know?”

“Berockh demon, last time he tried to raise enough power to take over the Western Hemisphere with the sacrifice of two humans,” Hellboy mentioned, “Stopped him from gaining the power, but the sacrifices still died. Couldn't go after him; he teleported.”

“Berockh demons have no hypnotic abilities. The people that help are doing this willingly. They hope to get something for their service,” Abe added, “Places in the new rule, favors.”

“How much power would the demon need to raise if he wanted to take over the world?” Coulson asked.

“The right place,” Abe brought up, “Large enough for all the rituals he would have to perform to build up to the main sacrifice. Being close to places of natural energies would be an immense help. Ley lines, cemeteries, vortexes. ”

“He needed two last time. This time might be three or four,” Hellboy added.

“I believe five might be the optimum here, for a pentacle,” Abe debated, “And to make the power last longer.”

“So he needs about two to four more people,” Liz jumped in, “What type of people would he need for the ritual?”

“Anyone would work well, but the last two had been husband and wife, which was a strong connection. What exactly is your connection to John, Agent Coulson?” Abe inquired.

Now he was put on the spot. A select few knew about his former name (Fury was the one that arranged it, Clint and Natasha knew due to their digging) and he trusted them not to get any on his family in danger. And these people he probably could trust, given that they themselves were keeping secrets, the less people that knew, the more safe it would be. “A concerned party,” he alluded.

Hellboy snorted, “Yeah, right. A SHIELD agent that's more concerned than the people he works with. Try again.”

“It is the truth,” he said, unwilling to give anything away.

Before he could retort, Liz stopped him, placing a hand on his non-stone arm to calm him. “John talked about his older brothers and sisters, specifically the ones he hadn't talk to in years. One was named Phil,” she stated, “That's you.”

Coulson kept himself impassive, but the damage had already been done. The feel of the room became tense, brittle. A ping disrupted everyone. “Ah,” Abe hummed, reaching for a hidden phone, “Jeremy is getting back to me.” The other three didn't say anything as he went through the email. “He sent the reports on the previous ritual.”

He nodded, “JARVIS can put the reports on the screen if you allow him. JARVIS?”

“Of course, Agent Coulson,” the AI responded, the three former BPRD agents glancing around in surprise, “Mr. Sapien, I will only access the email containing the reports and place them up on the viewing screen. Is that satisfactory?”

It took a second, but he agreed, “Of course.” They watched the document show up on the main viewing. Each read the document and a couple of copies separated so each could read at a different place. “That is not good,” Abe commented.

“Frank and Barbra Myers?” Liz murmured.

“Ah, hell,” HB cursed.

“Mr. Sapien, what would be the effect of the demon sacrificing the son of a previous sacrifice?” Coulson asked.

“Well, he did not have the entire effect of the last ones, but he still gained some of their energy. It may be possible using John would give him an added boost due to blood. He may not need as many sacrifices. Two to three, including him,” he explained, “If you are his brother, you must be careful. You or any one of your other siblings would be enough for him to gain enough power to take over two-thirds to three quarters of the world.”

“Where are the others?” Hellboy questioned.

“Frank, Martha and Jake are covert ops. All three have training to deal with HYDRA. Martha's in California. Frank has a security detail thanks in part to his job. Jake's in Eastern Europe. Ben's in Michigan and Abbi's in Nevada,” Coulson listed.

“You and Ben would be the main targets,” Liz confirmed.

“Our security would be able to protect you, Agent,” JARVIS interjected, “As long as you didn't leave the building. I have also notified two SHIELD agents that are in proximity to your brother. They will watch over him; you may want to alert him so he doesn't lose them.”

“After this is over, I will,” he promised.

“Hey, is John the youngest?” Hellboy asked.

“Yes,” Coulson confirmed.

“Frank, Martha, Jack, Ben, Abbi, you and John's the youngest,” he counted out.

“The seventh,” Abe picked up, “If he gets another sibling, he could rule the entire world with just two.”

Carefully setting one of her fingers on fire to calm herself, Liz regretted, “Well, that just went bad faster than normal.”

=

The building that the two SHIELD agents were watching was an old factory, decay already settled in and enjoying the expansive space. The people they had been tracking disappeared in. They saw shadows, but the height of the windows worked against Natasha at ground level. Clint wasn't doing any better, barely seeing the tops of heads from his position on a roof a block away.

“I hate the smart ones,” Clint commented, watching the activity, “This angle's crap.”

“Your angle's better than mine,” Natasha retaliated, “What are they doing?”

“Working on weapons,” he reported, “Guns, knives, nothing too unusual.” Both heard the chirp of a notification from Coulson. He waited a minute for her to read. “What?”

“Any sign of John Myers, we get him out if at all possible. If the demon even attempts to sacrifice, he'll gain enough power to take over part of the world,” she declared, “He also has a 'take out if necessary.'”

“Shit,” he swore, “We're not doing that, are we?”

“Like hell,” she equally cursed in Russian.

=

Coulson got off with Ben. He wasn't happy, but the stress of his voice drove the point home. Ben wouldn't lose the agents. He also confirmed with the two there. He contacted Natasha and passed along the order to get John out or kill him if absolutely needed. They all knew he didn't want to, but the sake of the earth was important.

After finishing those important parts, he went back to the three still there. “My agents tracked two HYDRA members that were identified during the raid the BPRD led early this morning. This apparently is a base of operations,” he informed, bringing up the building on the screen.

Abe carefully studied the picture. “I am unable to tell. I do not recognized it or anything around that would give it an edge,” he studied, “I could contact Jeremy and he could run it against the known locations of Ley lines and look up other nearby areas that have been used for rituals.”

“Please.” He walked out of the room to make the call. Coulson finally let himself sit in one of the chairs on the opposite side of the room. He kept the strong front that he developed during the Rangers and early SHIELD days, but his mind was in turmoil. He now finally know what happened to their parents, and John, the youngest, might become the next one in the family to suffer the same fate. All because HYDRA and this demon were going to try and take over the world with their deaths.

“What was going to be the offer?” Hellboy asked, breaking the silence after a minute.

He centered at the demon. “Compensation, fifty thousand,” he told him, “Another offer to join SHIELD. We would have found a more secure and larger house for the five of you.”

He nodded, “Not bad. Still not joining, had too many problems with Manning to consider working on the payroll for any governments again.”

“Red means he doesn't do well when people tell him what to do,” Liz chipped in.

“Hey,” he grumbled, no real force behind it.

“It might be a good idea, to go somewhere,” she suggested, “To make sure someone takes care of them if anything were to happen to us.”

He chuckled, “Going back would cause something to happen. We're better off staying out.”

Everyone looked up when Abe came back in the room. “Jeremy has found most of the ritual areas the BPRD has investigated within the past twenty years. He also has a list of places we suspected would be excellent ritual sites,” he reported, “The factory they are at is not the best for their ritual, but it can be in case they have no places that are ready or secure.”

“Let's bring them up,” Liz said.

Abe directed, “JARVIS? The information is on my phone. Would you please?”

“Yes, Mister Sapien,” the AI allowed. The reports were replaced by a map of a hundred miles around the factory, known ritual sites marked in red and possible in yellow. “If I may make a few suggestions.”

“Go ahead, JARVIS,” Coulson approved.

“Searches of local records indicate that several of these locations,” he cited, highlighted around fifteen to twenty spots, “Are unsuitable for their needs.”

“Businesses?” Liz figured.

“And two apartment buildings,” he added.

“Have you already checked them out?” he questioned, “Check security and nearby surveillance cameras?”

“Selected areas are quiet.”

“Fairly sure this is illegal,” Abe mentioned.

“So is talking to aliens and Myers broke that law,” Hellboy grinned, “Can we use cameras in the other areas? Search for anyone watching?”

JARVIS processed the suggestion quickly. “Seven areas don't have sufficient coverage,” he reported, the areas staying or becoming red, “The others have enough to establish enough surveillance.”

“All right, the seven should be checked by agents, the others by analysts. What should they bring to each of the sights?” he inquired to Abe and Hellboy, routing the other areas to analysts that could instantly start scanning for signs.

“There are a few protection amulets. Useful against standard energy surges and basic to moderate curses. Higher level protection has to be requested a few months in advance,” Abe suggested.

“Holy water, white oak stakes, silver knives or bullets, clover leaf but it'd be better for you guys to use as an oil and smear it on any and all knives you normally carry,” Hellboy listed.

“Squirt gun or spray bottle?” Coulson asked.

“Squirt gun works better. Also, balloons for large groups,” he smirked.


	4. Quatre

John was cold. The bag stopped being useful within three minutes of sitting on it. He kept leaning up against the walls, unable to stay seated upright for very long. Every time he touched the walls, warmth seeped out of his body and it would force him away for a few minutes. He was also getting tired, a combination of no food and the long hours that must have passed. He almost fell asleep when the door to the room was unlocked. He tried forcing himself up, but couldn't manage when the door opened.

“Agent,” a woman greeted, holding a tray with food on it, “There are three more people outside if you decide to try anything.” She set down the tray and pulled out a knife to cut the ropes. John rubbed his wrists before pulling the food closer and eying it carefully. “There would be no point in drugging you through the food. You are to remain healthy for our master.”

Still wary, he started eating the soup. He kept himself from downing it fast, but still finished it quicker than would have been good for his stomach. It was slightly achy, but not overly so when he placed the bowl back down and grabbed the water off. He backed into the corner when she picked up the tray and walked back out. She reappeared a minute later, throwing a blanket into the room before locking him back in.

John surged forward and grabbed it. He unfolded and found it would provide enough protection against the floor. Balling up his jacket, he curled up and faced the door. He knew he probably shouldn't sleep, but there was no way he could do anything else. His only and possibly best option would be to sleep and make sure he was at the top of his energy to try anything. Only a few minutes later, he did.

=

Nick Fury didn't even need to have Thomas Manning on the phone to be beyond annoyed at the man. Inter-agency cooperation didn't exist in his vocabulary, and it has cost him resources and manpower. He doesn't know what he did to destroy the relationship that used to exist between Hellboy, Sapien and Sherman, but it ruined any chances for someone else to try and approach them. 

Being on the phone with him, trying to secure some of Hellboy's weapons and Abe's equipment, he could steadily feel his patience with the man falling below a gauge's zero. “You took the case away from the Bureau; there's no reason for me to help you outfit my former agents,” he grumbled.

“You should be grateful; you've been stretched thin with the deaths of several agents. We have more resources,” he argued, “Look, the stuff we're asking for can only be used by them, it makes a hell of a lot of sense for them to have it.”

“Why can't your R and D department come up with something, if you have more resources?” he accused.

“We don't have time. That demon could kill Myers at any moment. Instead of wasting time trying to develop a gun that Hellboy can use with ease, we could just use the one you already have and that he's used before,” he shouted, before forcing himself to bring his voice down. “This demon killed Myers' parents, and with his sacrifice will have enough power to take over most of the world. Do you want that to happen?”

“Of course not,” he defended.

“Then put aside the politics for a few days so we can stop these people.”

=

Hellboy may have had all the answers, but he couldn't (or wouldn't or didn't want to) help with the gathering of the items. Abe was a great resource when it came to finding areas of white oak, and for getting the protection amulets. Liz worked with the clover leaf oil and quickly got it on all knives. She also contacted and collected holy water from a majority of Catholic churches in the area. Identifying was seemed to be the highest on the list of possible sites, Coulson readied himself to head out. 

And was stopped before he even got to the elevator.

“Agent, it may not be wise for you to lead any of the groups,” Abe stopped, “You would be a highly valuable target.”

“I'm already a highly valuable target for several other reasons, Mr. Sapien; this isn't the worst,” he said.

“Yes, but for the sake of the world, you should stay here.”

“Agent,” JARVIS brought up, “Director Fury would like you to coordinate from here.” He wanted to argue with the man, but he had likely passed on the message so he couldn't. “He also says that Agents Barton and Romanoff are going to be the leads on raiding the factory they've been watching.”

That was probably to pacify him, and he knew it was working on him. They were his best. If at all possible, they wouldn't fail him. As if to read his mind, Hellboy followed up, “We're checking out the site you spotted. Gotta agree, it's a good choice.” Liz was behind them, loading a gun and checking her vest.

They all reacted to the elevator opening. Two men were standing with a large trunk between them. “I guess Director Fury was able to talk to Manning,” Abe said, everyone moving to allow them off. 

Hellboy unlatched the trunk and ran his hands over the bullets and pulled out the large gun that was sitting in an equally large holder. “Missed this thing,” he murmured, finding a few rounds to load up and others.

A briefcase was also handed to Abe, who opened it to see his breathing device. “Fury must have gotten to Manning,” Liz commented.

Hellboy muttered, “About time someone did.”

“Agent Coulson, the conference room is set up to watch the seven operations and the raid on the warehouse,” JARVIS informed, “The first ones are about to start searching.”

“Thank you, JARVIS,” he said, going back while the group went down.

=

Both met the agents when they pulled up hundred feet away from the factory. Barton nodded to the one he recognized and grabbed what was handed to him. “The knives have been coated with clove leaf oil. The necklaces are amulets,” he explained, “We've also got squirt guns with holy water in them.”

“Are we expecting more supernatural elements to be working with the demon?” Natasha questioned.

“The consultants Coulson was talking to say 'Better safe than sorry,'” he responded. All nodded and they latched into the frequency of group, Barton also getting a small camera so Coulson could watch the action before heading back. 

Natasha headed the front group while Barton went around with a few others. Silently, the lock was picked and everyone in her group entered. The first two enemies were disarmed and knocked out before they knew someone was behind them. Knowing at any moment they could be discovered, the group was extra cautious going around corners and thoroughly checking rooms to make sure no one could sound an alarm. There were three more HYDRA agents taken out before Barton cursed on the comms. “We were spotted; possible alarm soon,” he reported, and the second after several HYDRA members starting coming out and attacking.

“Barton, possible location on Myers?” she inquired, taking out one and using her as a prop to hit the other three coming at her.

“Getting down to the basement. Saw one rush down that way.”

“Coming towards you,” she informed, then turn to her group, “Make sure no one helps the demon or gets out with Myers.” She then ran.

In the conference room, Coulson had the factory raid maximize while all the others were surrounding it on smaller screens, audio only for the factory. Three of the places had been desecrated with standard graffiti and 'Satanic' symbols. There was nothing to indicate the places had even been visited in years. The other three were cleaner, but there were signs of actual ritual use. With the little they knew, some were protection spells and more white or good magick. For a demon to use those for evil purposes, the magickal buildup would stop him from being able to complete the ritual.

The last one was clean, but there were traces of magick use. Abe was trying to determine which it was. Hellboy noticed signs of both, but sometime good intention spells could be perverted. He made their search a little bigger and placed it close to the video he was most concentrated on.

Barton took out two more agents and Natasha searched them for indications. “Nothing.” Both moved ahead, checking rooms that were locked and just finding civilians HYDRA had hired. They just relocked the doors and barred them so SHIELD could arrest them later.

Two people standing outside of a door alerted them to the possibility that was where they were keeping Myers. Spotted, both pulled out their guns and fired. The two of them fired back, hitting and killing the guards. Barton quickly picked the lock and opened to expect the agent.

He wasn't disappointed, as John was standing with the demon at his back, holding him in place with help from bound wrists and a gag to stop communication. Both raised their guns, but John being used as a shield stopped their thought of shooting. The demon grinned darkly, then began reciting something that caused a mist to consume them before they disappeared.

“What the fuck?” Barton swore.

Coulson was thinking the same thing, and switched completely to Hellboy, Abe and Liz. “How did the demon teleport last time?” he inquired.

“Fancy mist,” Hellboy grumbled, “Shit, he just did that to you?”

“Barton, he teleported,” he reported back, “Finish securing the site and see if they had anything that could identify the ritual site they're planning to use.” Then he switched back to Hellboy. “Yes, and he took John.”

“Understood,” Barton concurred, then turned to Natasha. “Let's talk to the civies and see if they know.” She nodded and both went back to a room to start interrogating. 

“Ah, hell,” the demon cursed. Coulson brought the other group to the main screen. 

Abe was concentrating on the spell to identify previous rituals and spells. Liz was looking through the building for anything that would help while Hellboy stood guard. The three of them overheard what the agent had said and started to worry. If they didn't have the right areas, if an area had been left off, they may not be able to get to the site quick enough to stop the demon. None of them heard from Coulson again, too busy listening into the factory angle.

He may have been listening in to the factory, but he wasn't watching that feed. His entire visual focus was on Hellboy's group. In the upper corner of the scene, he saw a mist starting to roll in. He switched back to their audio feed. “Hellboy,” he alerted, “Your right.” He checked the SHIELD agents that were supposed to be with the group. “Hodgson, Nelson, get your men inside the building.” All he got in return was silence and white noise. “Hodgson, Nelson, Servo, Crow, Gypsyum.” He went over to the factory feed. “The group I sent with the former agents aren't in contact. At least one hostile, possibly more. How close are you?”

“Not close enough,” Barton replied. Coulson started looking at possible teams to send over.

Said half demon looked over and raised his gun toward the rapidly forming figures. John was surprised at the sight of Hellboy and Abe, but the demon looked angry that someone was already there. “You,” it growled.

“Long time, nineteen-eighties. Big hair, bigger egos,” he mocked, “See yours hasn't gone down, Rocky.”

“You will not stop me this time,” he asserted, one hand holding John by the neck. “I will become the ruler of this planet.”

Unseen to the three non-humans, but not the human, Liz had come back into the room and seen everything going on. John's eyes locked with her and started figuring out a way to move so she could get a shot in. “And how ya going to do that?” he taunted, “You don't have anything for the ritual. You've got no helpers.”

“Who says I have no help?” A couple of dark mists popped up and formed into minions that most demons could conjure. A few humans also joined in, guns drawn and aimed at the two.

“Stay down, Blue,” he ordered, then shot at the two minions. They disappeared, then reassembled by him. Abe ducked bullets to get behind a wall and pulled out a few distractions for the humans. Liz literally fired at the guns of the humans closest to force them to drop them.

Two of the humans grabbed John and dragged him over to a heavy table that must have been purposed for an altar. He was untied to be redone to the table. The demon walked over to meet him. Liz tried to concentrate and throw the fire so it hit him in the back. She succeeded, but it gave her away as humans started going after her. The fire also didn't last long, the demon only mildly burned before putting out the flames. “Red, stop him.”

He fired once, the bullet hitting his arm. The Berockh demon howled and turned towards him. Anger clouding his objective, he stalked over to Hellboy. Abe took the opportunity to knock out one of the helpers and start untying John from the table. The other one got around the table and attacked him, but he had managed to get John's arm done enough so the agent could get himself untied.

The demon realized he had been distracted, and pulled out a knife before rushing back and stopping John before he could get off the table. Holding his sacrifice by the neck, he started muttering the spell he needed, the knife glowing at the words. He got to the last word and was about to stab him straight in the heart.


	5. Cinq

The Demon's arm was stopped by two hands pulling at his arm to stop him. “Quite unfortunately, I cannot allow you to do that,” someone commented. He turned around to see a man with long black hair and green robes on. “Blood oaths and repentance vows. Pesky things.” John's eyes widen almost comically if it weren't for the knife still pointed at him.

The demon didn't know what to make of his new enemy. He wasn't human. “Leave me be, before I kill you,” he ordered, trying to shake off his grip.

Hellboy looked over at the new person that joined in the fight. “Blue, who is that?” he asked.

Abe turned to see the person that was now fighting the Berockh demon. “I believe Loki,” he said.

Coulson watched the event unfold on the screen. _When did Loki find out about John? Or did he just know when he met him at the Junditto?_

Loki twisted the demon around and threw him a few feet into a HYDRA agent. The demon still had the knife, but used it to try and stab him instead. He parried, then stopped him again from stabbing him. The third time, he twisted the wrist until the knife was dropped. He then picked it up and threw it away from John and the demon.

Abe helped John off the slab and led him away while the demon was occupied. “You must leave,” he insisted, “The demon cannot be allowed to finish the ritual with your death.”

“You can't deal with all these agents,” he countered.

“We will not have to for long. You must leave, John,” Abe pushed. Both jumped out of the way when a fireball was thrown close to their feet. They looked up to see Liz completely ablaze. “I believe both of us should leave.” The two of them ran out when the first fire blast let loose. The heat kept them running until they came across SHIELD agents trying to get closer. “I would not get closer.”

“Fire,” John iterated, “The ones we need to concern ourselves about are probably safe.”

“The Berockh demon?” one asked.

“Check after the fire's done burning,” John said.

The phone on the lead agent rang and he pulled it out. “Yes?” He handed it over to John after a second.

He took it warily. “Hello?”

Coulson sighed on the other side, “Just making sure. You'll be coming back to Stark Tower for your debrief.” He hung up before John could ask anything. He handed back the phone before walking out with Abe.

“So, how has freelancing treated you?” he asked.

“Not bad.” 

The two of them headed over the cars when something popped up next to them. Loki looked down at John before disappearing. “How...” John puzzled, before turning around to see the inferno Liz created. There were no flames coming out of the building.

“He is a God,” Abe mentioned.

He turned quickly. “What?”

Liz walked out with an agent's jacket draped over her as best as she could to cover herself. Hellboy still had the remnants of his pants, but not much else. Both walked over to Abe and John when they saw them. “Long time, John,” Liz chided.

“Sorry,” he said, “They never allowed me your contact info. Manning said I would have run you off purposely.” He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed once before letting go and stepping away from her. “Hellboy,” he nodded.

“Boy scout,” he grumbled, before using his left hand to mess up his hair.

“Nice to see you as well,” he conceded, fixing it after. Hellboy messed it up again and kept his hand there to stop him.

=

Coulson finally allowed himself to stop staring at the screens when he heard Natasha and Clint pick up John to bring him to the tower. The rest of the agents were either heading back to SHIELD headquarters or going over to the HYDRA hideout and the ritual site. The BPRD was helping with the second, identifying and neutralizing spells. John walked in and he minimized the feeds. Neither knew where to start. John said, “Hi, Phil.”

“John,” he stated.

“I uh, guess you know about the BPRD.”

“I do,” he confirmed.

“Are you mad?”

“Yeah,” he admitted, “I thought you were just FBI. I thought you would be dealing with humans, completely ordinary humans whose worse offenses would be robbery, kidnapping, murder with normal weapons. Instead, you're dealing with demons and witches that kill with curses.”

“That was only one time,” John weakly protested, “And Liz flamed her before she could finish.”

He didn't read all the files that John was involved in, but that just scared him more. Yes, Coulson could admit he was scared. His youngest brother was involved in an agency that involved dangerous beings. Humans were dangerous by themselves; but normal knives, guns, hand to hand combat. Most of that was easy to avoid or fight against. Demons? Magick? How did he fight against that with just a gun? “How did you get involved with the BPRD?” he inquired, wanting to know more about why.

John was surprised at the question. “I finished training at Quantico. There were a few cities that were looking for new probies. New York, Los Angeles. Professor Broom had been watching me for a while; he invited me,” he informed, “My first position was handler to Hellboy. I was supposed to be a link to humanity to him. He got me transferred to Antarctica for some stupid reason.” He stopped and tapped the table, unintentionally bringing up a computer screen. He hurriedly got out and took his hands off. “You know about the BPRD. How did you get involved in SHIELD?”

He was unsurprised that he asked that question. “Your security clearance isn't high enough for me to answer that,” he denied.

“Phil, if you don't tell him, we will,” Clint informed, walking in with Natasha and the others. “And we’ll tell him the embarrassing moments.” Abe took the seat next to John while Hellboy and Liz chose two seats off the center. Liz had a SHIELD uniform on and Hellboy just had a new pair of pants. “Also, the demon was fried before having his head cut off.”

“Completely dead,” Hellboy said, “No worries from that demon. Come on, we're all living security secrets; you can tell him.”

Clint smirked; Natasha slightly nodded at Coulson. Both of them thought he should tell him. “Fury and I were in the same Ranger group,” he stated, “When he was recruited into SHIELD, he brought me along. I'm his other eye and ears for all intelligence.”

“AKA gossip and rumors of the spy world,” Clint interpreted.

John asked, “Who else knows?”

“Frank, Martha and Jake. Ben and Abbi think I'm FBI, just in a different division than you.”

“Like you would ever be a Feeble, Coulson,” Clint remarked.

He was ignored. “Where's Ben now?” John inquired.

“Somewhere in Michigan, I think.”

He sighed in relief. “That's good.” Everyone turned to him in confusion. “Last I heard, he was in Maine, and there were vampires in this small town. We had a hard time getting rid of all the turned vampires.” Coulson kept his mouth shut.

JARVIS had to interrupt then, startling John. “Excuse me, Agent Coulson, but the news of Agent Myers has reached the others,” he reported, “I've also taken calls from Colonel Myers and Agents Evans and Nerchant. They would like to know about John's status and talk to him.”

“Others?” John inquired.

“Hi, Agent,” Tony announced, looking at the room and seeing the new people. He dropped down in the other chair besides John. “So, you're the youngest brother of a group of siblings our sitter has never mentioned.”

It took a minute for John to get his thoughts together, but he finally did. “The Avengers?” he squeaked.

“Hey, he recognized us,” Tony joked, “Are you a fan of our work?”

“Tony,” someone warned. Steve walked in, along with Bruce. “Steve Rogers,” he introduced, holding out his hand.

“Bruce Banner.”

John stood up to shake his hand. “John Myers.” He moved over to Bruce's, who waved him off. He turned to the others. “They are Hellboy,” he pointed out, who raised an arm, “Abe Sapien...”

“Pleasure,” he greeted.

“And Liz Sherman.” She simply waved.

“All former BPRD,” Tony confirmed, “I caught up quickly on what's been happening. Did you know your brother stopped the apocalypse as well? And at the tender age of twenty six.”

Coulson set his eyes to John, who started feeling uncomfortable with the increase of attention. “Sir, Agent Coulson, Colonel Myers and Agent Evans are here. Nerchant is on a secure line, waiting for you to open a video conference,” JARVIS declared.

“More family members, Phil,” Tony proclaimed, “Who do we ask for the embarrassing stories?”

“If anyone deserves to ask that question, it's us, Stark,” Clint declared.

“Granted, after we talk to the two of them,” someone agreed. From the strict posture and the dress grays, most concluded that it was Colonel Frank Myers, the oldest of the siblings. A younger male stood outside the first door and another walked over to the other entrance. A woman followed behind. Both Clint and Natasha immediately tightened at her presence, intelligence training showing through the three of them. Frank went over to Phil, who stood up to shake his hand. “Too many years, Phil,” he commented.

“I've been busy,” he told him. He turned to his sister. “Martha.”

“Phil,” she stated.

Everyone started becoming uncomfortable, including John. “We'll just leave,” Steve said, grabbing Tony out of his chair. The man protested as he ushered them out. “JARVIS, please don't record the conversation.”

“Don't listen to him, JARVIS,” Tony countered, “I want all the details.”

John almost joined his former group out the door before Martha calmly grabbed him and sat him back down. They waited for the group to disperse. Once they all went up the elevator, Phil brought up the video conference. After loading for a few minutes, Jake Nerchant, real name Jacob Myers, came on the screen. “You guys beat me,” he complained, “Hi, John; hi Phil.”

“Jacob,” Phil greeted.

“Hi, Jake,” John waved.

“So, what has our youngest brother gotten himself into?”

“The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense,” Frank told him.

“Never dealt with it,” he commented, “Heard about the half-demon through a couple of people that met him once.”

“Hellboy,” John confirmed.

“So we've got someone else in the secret organizations trade,” he joked.

Phil slid up the information he had dug up on their parents. “There's also something else. About our parents,” he said.

The four of them quickly read the information. John was the most visibly heartbroken, wondering why not one of his colleagues had told him about his parents. Jake frowned at the information. Frank and Martha had been trained not to show emotions; their eyes tightening were the only signs of troubled thoughts. “Is that why John was taken?” she inquired.

“I was at the raid,” he explained, “The demon must have recognized something in my scent. That's why he took me.”

“And he would have grabbed another one of us to try and gain control over the world,” Coulson added, confirming the information.

“Ouch,” Jake winced. There was yelling on his side and he rolled his eyes at the comments. “Sorry, have to get off. I'm temporarily working with Ethan Hunt's group and Benji gets really annoyed at the prolonged use of video conference.” He shut off his side, leaving the application blank.

The four didn't know what to do. Pleasant conversation didn't seem like the best at night when they should be about to sleep. They all figured this and the two visitors said their goodbyes before leaving with Frank's guard. John looked like he was about to collapse on the table, but there was the actual debrief they needed to complete. “Come on, John, two more things we need to do,” he led.

“Can't it wait until morning?” he complained, laying his head on the edge of the table.

“Your memories are fresh, easier to do it now and get it out of the way.” He brought up the phone system and called the agent who was to handle the BPRD side of things before bringing up the paperwork he had to fill out. “Just start with the raid.”

=

The trio was almost out the building when they were stopped. Stark was watching them with interest, but it was Rogers that started the conversation. “We're interested in talking to you,” he started badly.

“Look, we're not joining SHIELD,” Hellboy cut off, “Not a fan of secret agencies.”

“That's not what we were thinking of,” Bruce noted.

“Considering the threats that we have been coming across,” Steve tried again.

“Basically, you know things we don't and we might contact you for fights if we're more than slightly outnumbered,” Tony interrupted, “Or get some drinks if we're in the neighborhood.”

“Drinks?” Hellboy inquired. Liz glared at him

“Come on up,” he offered, “I'm pretty much stocked with a lot because of Thor and two metabolism fast agents. I'm sure you'll be fine.”

Abe patted Liz's arm as they followed them to the elevator.

=

JARVIS interrupted during the last portion of the forms, “A bit of warning, Agents Coulson and Myers. Mister Stark has given Hellboy Asgardian mead.”

“What are they giving him?” John asked quickly, looking up from his question.

“Alcohol.”

“How dangerous is it?” he inquired.

“It's the only thing that can get Thor drunk," Coulson answered, "Thor being the god."

“I know that. Your assets just gave a powerful drink to a half-demon," he complained.

“I'm their handler, not their babysitter," he argued, but followed his brother up to the elevator so he could check on his three former charges.


	6. Epilogue One

It took a fair amount of finagling for the siblings to get together. It was John's idea (and since it was John’s idea, he got to be the one convincing Phil) to just gather everyone so they could talk and possibly reestablish connections now that they were all older. Somehow, Tony had gotten a hold of the information and basically pushed them into using Stark Tower. The security meant that they could hide their jobs away from their two remaining non secret organization siblings. It also meant Tony could show up at any moment, although both Bruce and Steve promised to try and keep him occupied.

John arrived first, holding his report on the Junditto and Loki in his hand while wearing casual clothing. Phil was waiting in a different conference room than before, also trying for casual. This room was more like that of a hotel version, with places for food and drinks. “An actual paper copy,” he said, amused before taking it and hiding it in his briefcase, which was stored away in the storage room. “I only did that to see if I could find out where you were working.”

“And the BPRD wouldn't have let you in. Manning's not a fan of SHIELD,” he stated, “And he's really not a fan now after trying to get Hellboy back and failing again. He blames your agency.”

“If he had treated them better, he wouldn't have lost them,” he said.

“I'm in agreement, but then I wasn't there when they left, so I don't know exactly what happened.”

Both stopped talking when they heard the door open and Abbi walked in with another woman. “Johnny!” she called, moving quickly over and hugging him tightly.

“Hi, Abbi,” he fake croaked, causing her to hit him lightly.

She hugged Phil before wrapping an arm around the woman. “This is my partner, Sharon Donovan,” she introduced.

“It's wonderful to meet some of Abbi's family,” she smiled, pointing at John, “Some of the stories she's told about you are interesting.”

“Interesting's not a good word in this family,” he said, remembering the last few revelations. “You know, I would like to know the story of how you two met. Please, tell me the embarrassing details; I have no ammunition against my family.”

“John!” Abbi shouted, scandalized, but her partner laughed and they walked a few steps away. She decided to round on Phil. “What the hell have you been doing?”

The exact nature of the question was noticeable, but he sidestepped. “Working. I take holidays and cover others shifts so they can go home.”

“No phone calls, no mail,” she accused, “You and Jake are terrible liars.”

“Jake?”

She sighed, “He came in during one of my shifts, half-dragging this guy behind him. Claimed that he got into a bar fight and wanted me to fix him up. Like I couldn't tell that he had dug a bullet out first.” _Wonder if it was Hunt or Brandt._ “Both of you are hiding something from me, and I want to know out what it is.”

He denied, “I work for the FBI, nothing exciting.”

“Right,” she nodded, completely not believing him.

“Wait, was this before or after puking on her?” John laughed.

“Oh, God, not that story,” she moaned, running over to slap a hand over her partner's mouth.

“I must say, it was a very entertaining story,” Frank whispered, finally talking from where he had been hiding behind Phil. “They met during one of her shifts, and she kept coming in with people or by herself to get a glimpse. Finally got noticed when she puked on Abbi.”

“Interesting,” he agreed, “Martha and Jake?”

Jake announced himself just as Phil asked. “All right, everyone, don't crowd in at once,” he joked. Abbi was the first to rush him, making him falter a couple of steps when she hugged him at full force. “Oh, I missed these.”

Neither of them noticed another figure walking into the room. John, however, was relieved when Ben showed up. He walked over and gave the older man a hug, which he confusedly returned for a few seconds. He pulled him over to a corner so he could ask him a few questions. Phil caught sight of them and wondered if John was asking about Maine.

“Martha might be a few minutes late; she's having problems getting a babysitter for the kids,” Frank reported. He decided to go and throw an arm around Jake, who looked up in confusion before using one of his arms to give a sideways hug.

Martha walked in on Jake and Ben whispering in a corner. Frank, Abbi and John were talking about a TV show she didn't know about. Phil noticed her over a woman's shoulder and nodded once. She pointed out each to the man beside her, naming them. Frank caught sight of her and motioned over the group. Abbi ran up and hugged her tightly when she saw her. Letting go, she introduced, “This is my husband, Nathan.”

Frank and Phil shook his hand, having met him before in their jobs. “Okay, I am noticing that none of the boys brought anyone,” Abbi joked, looking to Martha and Sharon.

“My job is my life,” John claimed, “I haven't gone out in years.”

“I travel a lot,” Jake insisted, “And when I am home, it's paperwork until the next time.”

“Those are not excuses,” Sharon declared, “You should have someone special in your lives.”

“What are your types?” Abbi led, focusing on John.

“Who were your last dates?” she added, getting out her phone to search, “Were they serious?”

“Preferences?” Frank and Phil were amused by their sister's antics. She turned when they snickered. “Don't think you're getting out of this.”

“Hey,” Frank protested, holding up a wedding band.

The girls focused on Phil. “It's complicated,” he informed, “But I have someone.” John looked over and raised an eyebrow to ask who.

They switched to Ben. “I uh... don't think it's a good idea right now,” he regretted. His answer changed the tone of the room, but they tried to go back to John and Jake.

Everyone decided to leave the topic alone, and lunch was served. Jobs came up and edited versions popped up frequently. John was able to edit most of his to be human in nature. Phil and Jake both toned down theirs. Frank was mostly just paperwork, although a lot would have been redacted after he saw it. Ben told them he was working on a novel, a fictional one. The subject was vampires and John stared at him for two seconds before Phil hit him for being obvious. “They're not going to sparkle, are they?” Jake joked.

Ben laughed for a second, “That's copyrighted. I'll stay with the types that live in the dark and kill people.” The smile on his face tightened at what he described, but no one really took notice. Abbi was close to being promoted to a more managerial position in the hospital, and Sharon talked about her shop.

It started getting later, and Frank commented that he had to go home. Nathan and Martha agreed, talking about their own kids. Ben mentioned he had to leave as well. “We should do this again,” Jake mentioned.

“Yeah,” John nodded, “I would like to possibly meet my nieces and nephews.”

“It would be a good idea to give Amy fresh meat,” Nathan joked. Martha slapped him. Everyone separated and exchanged emails before leaving.

Phil and John ended up as the last two there. “So, we didn't get here in time for embarrassing stories,” Tony announced himself. _Thank god_ Steve and Bruce walked in behind him. “I did hear something about another family reunion.”

“I don't think you're going to be invited, Tony,” Bruce panned.

“What? I can't go along as his plus one,” he joked, pointing at Coulson. The stare he was given backed him off a tiny bit. He wrapped an arm around John. “All right, I'll go with your brother. He wouldn't mind me, right?”

“You're not my type,” he retaliated, an unamused stare thrown in his direction. 

“Hmm... well I guess I'll crash wherever you end up for the reunion.”

“Crash being the possible action,” Bruce lamented.

“Just remember, if you come, do so at your own risk,” Coulson stated.

“That would be wise, sir,” JARVIS interjected, “The Evans daughter, Amelia, has been unofficially linked to three pranks within her school. The entire cheerleading squad was dyed green after reports they bullied a young woman. The quarterback had every single jersey covered in sequins and glitter after attempting to rape another young woman and the entire school board lost access to their personal, business related and all school accounts after trying to cover up these incidents and several others in the past.”

“Huh,” Tony commented, internally measuring up the young woman that did this. She might be interesting. “Maybe you should take Barton and Romanoff to meet her.”

“No!” the others yelled.


	7. Epilogue Two

John finished off the last stack of paperwork he had in his office from his captivity time. It was probably the only good part of Hellboy not being around; he wasn't around to contribute to his paperwork and add his. He was planning on taking Lara, the Junditto that adopted him, out to run around before he rested for the next call out, or the next day of paperwork. When he opened his door, his desk phone rang. “Right on time,” he wryly joked, walking back over, “Agent Myers.”

“It's Phil; there's an entity here searching the Junditto,” he told him, “Claims they're his and wants to know who awoken them.”

“Manning's not taking the call, is he?”

“No.”

“Same park.”

“Yes.”

He sighed, “Give me an hour.”

SHIELD agents had the area surrounded. He was stopped by two before Clint and Natasha walked up to escort him in. They navigated him to a point so he could back put the garbage truck to let the Junditto into the secured space. Lara bounded out first, walking around John while the others moved out slower.

Phil was talking to a tall figure in a parody of their first meeting. John saw the intricate detail on the robes and hypothesized it was a high priest ( _another guy,_ he noted, _I hope this one doesn't try to kidnap me_ ) or royalty of some sort. Lara stepped forward, but looked back to him when he didn't walk forward. 'She' whined and tugged on his sleeve to drag him forward.

The others had gathered around and he noticed the missing one until John came into his view with the fourth. “Jhaila is attracted to you,” he commented, “Usually, she is not a big fan of humans.”

 _Well, I got the gender right._ “I've seen that,” he noted, “Agent Myers, Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.”

“Oh,” he frowned, “You humans again. Tell me, is the half demon still there?”

“No,” he wavered, “How do you know about Hellboy?”

“I met him, once,” he dismissed.

“'Met' wouldn't be the appropriate phrase, brother,” someone interred. Another figure, just as tall, walked up. Jhaila went over and sat by her feet, preening under the attention. “My name is Nuala. This is my brother, Nuada. Please, how has Abraham fared?”

Caught, John started trying to say that Abe was fine, physically because he didn't get to talk to him after their last encounter. “Amusing,” Nuada belittled, listening to him babble. Coulson threw an unamused glance at him before stopping John.

“Wait, wait,” he insisted, pulling out his cell phone. “I can call him; the two of you can talk?”

She walked over and he brought up Abe's number. After trying to explain, he just handed over the phone, pointing out where to talk and where to listen before handing it off. Nuala was ecstatic, talking rapidly with Abe over what happened. Nuada didn't look particularly happy. Instead of focusing on his sister, he focused on John. After a minute, he began to get uncomfortable with the attention. “Is there something you want to ask? Anything I can help you with, provided it's not illegal or immoral for me?” he inquired.

He stared at him. “You're actually asking? Most wait until I order them.”

“Well, I'm trying to be nice.” _And the staring's kinda freaking me out._

If it were possible to read his face, he would swear the prince (more and more of the incident report was resurfacing in his mind and he hoped Red wouldn't show up) was raising an eyebrow at what he thought. _Can they read minds? I already had to deal with Professor Xavier._ He possibly reacted to his next thought. _Oh, god._

Coulson decided to turn the attention back onto him. “Sir, if this takes care of the apparent problem, our agencies need copies of the incident. His will also need to report the returning of the Junditto to the rightful owners. Statements collected at this moment would be appreciated,” he dictated.

“Humans,” he grumbled.

“Brother,” she reasoned, "They have their records as we have ours."

“This is a waste.”

"We do this to make sure future agents from either of our agencies don't have problems with either you or the Junditto running around," Coulson explained.

Not happy, he muttered an agreement and John offered to take his statement while Coulson talked to Nuala. After ten minutes, they both completed their forms and agreed to just trade information once the twins left. Satisfied, they prepared to leave. Jhaila came back and licked John's hand once before rejoining Nuada's side. The group left down a tunnel that must have been created for them.

"Well, there goes my only chance for a pet," John quipped.

"You'll have other chances."

"Yeah, but I already named her. And I got the gender right." John's phone rang and he answered it without checking. "Agent Myers."

"Nuada still there?” Hellboy growled.

“No, he’s not,” he informed. “And he didn’t kill or maim anyone. I don’t know what your problem is. I was nice to him and he tolerated me.”

There was a struggle on the other end and Liz could be heard. “That’s because Hellboy doesn’t know how to do nice,” she lamented.

“Don’t know why I should be nice to that bastard,” he grumbled.

“Because it wouldn’t have gotten you killed,” she shot back, “And he might have reconsidered the whole destroy humanity thing.”

“Don’t think it would have helped. He was set on destroying them no matter once.”

Coulson grabbed the phone from John, overhearing the conversation. “He won’t be now,” he revealed.

“How do you know that?” he asked.

“He likes John.”

“What?” he roared. Abe was laughing in the background while Liz questioned what was happening. He apparently calmed himself down to explain to her. Then she started laughing.

“The Junditto that attached to John was his apparent familiar of sorts. Since it liked John, he probably will come back to try and court him, as he is a worthy companion. According to Nuala,” he informed.

“Manning’s not going to like that,” he said, amused.

“I’m not sure if I like that,” John protested, “Why would he be interested in me?”

“It’s your pure heart,” Coulson recited, “It’s a sign of a good soul, and a good partner.”

John asked, “Abe, what would Nuada do to ‘woo’ me?”

“Fight battles alongside you,” he mentioned, “Bring presents.”

“Watch it, Boy Scout, you may end up with something you can't take back,” Hellboy laughed.

“It would be hard to take him to the family reunions,” Coulson commented.

“I don't think I'm the one we have to worry about,” John prodded, “How would you explain your.... romantic entanglements to Abbi and Ben?”

 _Someone told him_. “Who was it?” 

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” he refuted. Coulson tried to glare him into telling him, but he wasn't breaking. Yet. He went back to the people on the phone. “So, how do I expect Nuada?” he asked, then changed course, “Is there any way of warning him off of dropping things at headquarters?”

“Nope,” Hellboy said, a little too enthusiastic.

“Great,” he moaned, “Just what I need.”

“You could send a note the first time he does something,” Liz piped up, getting the phone away from her boyfriend.

“What if that doesn't work?” he questioned.

“Hope that you are there to receive whatever he sends,” Abe said unhelpfully.

“And that Manning doesn't send you back to Antarctica,” Hellboy added.

“You're the reason I was sent there in the first place!” he shouted, before calming himself down.

“Maybe you need a boyfriend, Boy Scout,” Hellboy joked.

“I believe John and I should be getting back to our respective workplaces,” Coulson ended, “Goodbye.”

“I'll see you guys later,” he assured, before it was finally disconnected. His brother then went back to staring at him to try and figure out who told him about his relationship. The staring was unnerving, but he ignored it. Mostly. “I'm not telling you who gave me the information.” He just stared more intensely, hoping to throw him off. Instead, his brother walked toward the garbage truck. “Possibly see you later, Phil,” he yelled out of the window.

He waved back and watched it drive off before rounding up the agents that had been cleaning up. He had to go home and figure out who told John about his relationship with Clint and Natasha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hey, you got to the end. Pat yourself on the back. Now, if you couldn't figure out, I am a nerd and a geek. So, hints to other fandoms make their way in. Here's a handy guide.
> 
> Jake is part of the Impossible Missions Force, which is the main spy organization in the Mission Impossible movies. Clint knowing about Will was inevitable; two people sharing the same face would be noticed. 
> 
> The NIA that was mentioned is from Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. It was the organization that Jimmy's dad was apart of. 
> 
> Ben Myers being in Maine when vampires were around. Salem's Lot. I like the book or the 2004 TNT movie for Ben. (The hint about Michigan was actually the TNT movie.) Also, he got help from Coulson getting custody of Mark. Coulson knew. 
> 
> And there were the occasional hints to X Men from Xavier's and John meeting the man.
> 
> I think that's it. Thank you for reading.
> 
> Edit: Not it. I forgot. The team that was supposed to be with Hellboy, Liz and Abe. Hodgson, Nelson, Servo, Crow, Gypsyum. Mystery Science Theater 3000.


End file.
